The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-12-22
A FLOODS AWFUL WORK.

an area ExfeudlnG Over 1000 square
Mi Inundated by the Owe flowing Of
the Ye ow River In Cnina--E even Pops
uloa Cite. swept Away-Thousands oi
Lives Lost. and Millions are Homeless
and Starving Ono or the Worlds Great.
est Catastrophes.
BAN Francisco, DEC 16-The steamship
City o. sjiney arrivet Us erday afternoon
from Hong Kong and 70 ohama
Cainese papers give details Of disas-
ter occasioned by the Vel ow river over
flowing lis banks in the province OF
Honau, and describe It as one OF the
most appalling occurrences in loss OF
liis and property recorded In recent
times Tho river broke its bank on the
evening of September % southwest of
ths city OF Ching Chow. and not only
completely inundated that city. but also
ten other popnlous cities The whole area
is now raging sea, ten to thirty feet
deep, where 1t was densely populated
end rich plain The former bed Of the
Yellow river is now dry, and the present
lake was the bed Of .ne river centuries ago
Tie loss Of life Is incalculable. and the
statement is made by missionaries that mill
ions OF Chinese are homeless and starving
Thomas Patton, ono Of the American mis-
sionaries. writing from Honau province
uhuVA NAVS Va SCouUCA 90, SuJbs
''The newly gathered crops, houses and trees
are all swept away, involving fearful loss OF
life. The country was covered W tn fine winte,
braid, which is gone, and implies the complete
destruction Of next years CROP Bread. bread
Is the cry OF thousands who are on
the river bank Benevolent people 70 in
boats and throw bread among the masses here
and there, but 1t Is nothing compared with
the reQul, ul,oments. The mass Of people is still
fat nc fYpH An hv mt nun Al npriv ivala apoN
more hungry than the last. There they Sit,
stunned, hungry and detected, without rag to
wear or morsei Of food Mat huts are being
erected for them to the west Of this. but what
i. will be in two months / can not conceive.
Tie misery is increased owing to the bitter cold
weather"
The Yellow river has long been known al
Chinas sorrow, and the present disaster
has served to reassert its right to the terri
very meager. It has occurred in district
where but few foreigners are. and report,
furnished by the officials and published in
the Peking Gazette convey very inadequate
particulars of the extent Of the loss of life
and properly and the sufferings OF the sur
viyora The Governor in Honau reports ia
the throne that nearly all the people have
been drowned in the distr ct reached by
the water, the survivors beng those who
escaped to high ground or took refuge In
trees, where they remained till they were
rescued
This gives but little impression as tc
what the extent of the disaster really is
The Chinese Times states that In the province
Of Chihli, whore disastrous inundat.oni
hive also occurred. there are 27O,OOO peo-
pie homeless, representing those whose
lives were destroyed, ana adds that iht
missing in that province Is trif.ng com.
pared with that caused by Huango-Ho. o,
Yellow river.
The extent of ground swept over by over.
whslming food, given In English figures il
over 1000 square miles. and tho land thui
submerged formed q part OF one OF the
richest and most densely populated plain.
OF Northern China The necessity for lib
| eral aid may therefore be ina yined Al
1 ready considerable sums have been con.
tributed toward the relief of the sufferers
| The Emperor of China has given 2. .OOO. .OO(
of tae.s. and the Chinese have sr.st ted u sub
scription list in Shanghai. to which foreign
ers have contributed literally.
| Millions have been rendered homeless
and entirely deprived Of all chances Of earn
| ing their livelihood, for their fields viii
| either become permanent lakes or uninhab
table swampS 1t is feared that the dis
tress which will bc felt during the comins
winter will equal In intensity the famine Q
ten years ago, when charitable donation
contributed from all parts Of the world wer
utterly inadequate.
| It is stated that owing to the action takel
by the Yellow river 1t no longer dow
toward the sea, but seems content In con
verting Eastern Honau and Northern Ngan
i ve1ys;@ @s.<0 1,1rC YN ~<a1~x 41x
into the sea through Kiangon. or it ma,
even possibly join the Yang-tse-kiang.
| (The Yellow river has always been noted 70
its vast and destructive floods. which hav
from time TO time caused 1t to inundate th
low-lying country on either side Of its banks
According to Chinese geographers, the Hwans
ho takes its r.se on the 'sSea OF Stars" o.
the eastern side of the Bayen-kara Noun,
ains. In the Mongolian province Of Ke
honor, where IL has gained for itself tn
| name OF Ah-urh-tan, or Golden river, from tn
/ two streams. and when united takes at first
southeasteriy course. Next. tren ing In
| northeaste-ly direction. It trayerses the prov,nc
OF Kan-suh and passes uorthward through
the Great Wall until it reaches tn
| rising ground in the neghborhoo
east and south. II rc-entcrs China through tn
Great Wall. and continues its southerly course
forming the boundary between the prov noes Q
Shen-se ana Shan-se as far as Tungkwan
Here II makes sharp bend ind runs nearl
duo east TO Kai-fung Foo. In the neighbol
hood Of this city It enters on the grea
eastern plain Of China ana the sltel
stions which have taken place In Its be-
between this district aud the sea have earne
for II the well-deservea title Of THE Sorrow Q
Han" According to the Chinese records thi
portion OF the river has changed its course min
times during the last 500 years. and has emI
t!oi itself into the sea at as many diffsrcn
mouths. the most northerly OF which is repre-
sented Is having been about thirty-nine Dc
grees latitude or In the neighboohood OF tn
present month OF the Peiho, und tho mos
southerly being that which existed before tn
last change In 1S5l-53, In thirty-!our degree
latitude. The breaches that were made In tn
northern bank Of the river east OF Kai-funy Fo
during the floods Of 1851, 1852 and 1853 cause
Its waters gradually to overflow the low-lyin
country TO the northward: and these, afte
spreading over belt Of country about twelv
miles In width, struck the bed OF the Tatsin
river, and having forced their way into the ma
row, clean-cut channel, followed it to the Sc;
The result Of this change has been that the ol
course OF the river Is dry.l
~